With all of the new beauty membership programs available, and my newfound obsession with makeup, I’ve tried to be extremely selective in the ones I sign up for. After researching and reading lots of reviews, I chose Birchbox as my first beauty membership and Julep Maven as my first (and only available?) nail membership. and I’m anxiously awaiting the US launch of GlossyBox!
In case you’re unfamiliar with these types of programs, the basic idea is that you pay a small membership fee {Birchbox is $10/month, Julep Maven is $19.99/month} and you get deluxe or travel-sized beauty samples delivered to your home each month. If you end up liking the product, you can go directly to the program’s website and purchase it. Birchbox even awards rewards points for purchases made through their website and for referring friends.
I’ll do a review of Julep Maven soon, but today I want to talk about Birchbox because I received my first box after a month of waiting (literally. I signed up for an invite on March 15th) and I’m super excited about it!
April’s Birchbox had a natural theme so it’s filled with organic and healthy products. I love being green as much as the next girl, but I can’t lie and say I wasn’t a little disappointed with the theme. I was hoping for something a little more exciting in my first box. Luckily, I heard a little rumor that next month’s box will be Gossip Girl themed, so I’m sure that will more than make up for this. Anyway…back to the review.
The first two products were fragrances which I was happy about because I never try new perfumes on my own. Once I find one I like, I stick with it for years, so this will hopefully give me a chance to branch out. The first product, by Olie Biologique, is actually a hydrating oil {Hulie Moderne} that is heavily scented. According to the Birchbox website, just a few drops of this oil can hydrate the skin, promote collagen production and clear up acne and redness. It has a very crisp scent that I’m not sure I love yet, but I definitely want to see if this oil works as I’ve been experiencing lots of breakouts lately.
While I wasn’t too crazy about the Hulie Moderne scent, I adore the Atelier Cologne scent I received. It’s called “Orange Sanguine” and it’s the lightest citrus-based perfume I’ve ever smelled. I have a feeling this will end up on my “To Buy” list.
I was pleasantly surprised to find two tea bags in the box by French brand, Le Palais des Thés. I love green tea and can’t wait to try these. I’ll report back if they’re good.
My favorite product in the April Birchbox is this Revolution Organics beauty balm. This product is completely chemical free and is packed with lots of natural, hydrating and conditioning ingredients like coconut oil and alo vera. It can be used on the cheeks as a cream blush, on the face as a highlighter, on the eyelids as a cream eyeshadow and on the lips as a tinted lip balm. It comes in three colors, and luckily I got “bronzed,” a gorgeous brown color. I’m really excited about adding this to my daily makeup routine.
Lastly, I received five, quite large skin care samples from Be fine Skin Care.The small box came with 2 “single serve” cleansers and 3 “single serve” moisturizers. While I can see how the cleansers are single serve, the moisturizer packets feel like they have a lot of product in them so I’m going to try to stretch them into a few extra uses. These products are paraben free, allergen free and made from vegetarian proteins, and the packet claims that the products are safe and effective for all skin types so I’m going to give them a try. I’m really loving my Dermalogica skin care routine (more on that later this week), but I’m always down for trying newer, healthier products.
So that’s it for my first Birchbox. Maybe not something to jump up and down over, but definitely a great value for just $10. I’m excited to try all of the products, and even more excited to see what’s in the box for next month.
Have any of you tried any other beauty membership programs? If so, tell me about them in the comments!
